Wrong name
by NilesLover
Summary: Takes place during S4E15 "The nose knows". Slightly AU since things between CC and Niles would have developed much earlier if it was true, but the plot is in line with the episode one's. Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, they are all property of "The Nanny"


They were lying in bed in C.C.'s appartment. C.C. moaned as his lips wandered from her neck over her collarbone to her breasts. "Oh, Niles" she whimmered and suddenly he drawned back. It took her serveral seconds to understand why. "Chandler, I am so, so sorry" she appologized. "I don't know what got into me. I didn't mean it, really! Please, stay!" she pleaded when he was already half way to her door. However, he did not care and left without a look back.

She was determined not to let Niles find out how exactly she messed things up with Chandler. By the next morning she had a full plan on how to achieve that. An hour before she had put a letter in the Sheffield's mailbox. Now she was on her way to work.

He was sweeping the floor when she entered through the front door, dressed even more exqusit than usually. "Oh look at you. You look very sixties" he commented as she went on to the counter in the entering hall. "It's a Dolce and Gabbana" she replied, smiling because he had noticed. But as she took of her sunglasses he continued. "Mmh, I was talking about your face…" Her smile slowly faded.

"Oh, by the way, this came for you" he said as he handed her the letter that she had put in their mailbox earlier this morning. "What are those big creases in it?" she asked as she opened the envelope, trying to act as usually. "It was stuffed in the mailbox." Seeing the possibility to get back at him she replied: "I was talking about your neck." Now the smile was back at her face and, unseen by her, Niles smiled now as well.

"Ohoho" she laughed. Now the most important part of her little charade would start. "Things are heating up with Chandler. He sent me the key to his appartment" she pronounced as she jiggled the key in front of his nose. At this his smile faded away.

"_Dear_ C.C." she started to read her self-written letter. "You're suffocating me. Here's your key back?!" Her voice became louder with every word, making it sound like she was surprised and angry by their meaning. "Oh, you poor thing, no date for your big award ceremony Saturday?" he teased hoping it would distract her from what he thought to be heartbreaking words.

But she ignored him and continued with her little act. "That ungreatful… I waited on him hand and foot. Every morning at 6.30 I brought him a hot latte, I called him forty times a day to make sure he was eating right, HOW COULD HE SAY I WAS SUFFOCATING HIM!" At those last words she ripped the letter apart. She hoped that this made-up story would make a convincing reason for Chandler breaking up and tearing apart the letter was a nice little detail to convince Niles she was mad about the break-up. Niles on the other hand was actually rather confused because all those things didn't sound at all like the C.C. Babcock he knew.

"You poor thing I can't imagine anything more humiliating…" Niles said empathetically. She tried very hard to surpress her glee. He bought it. "Oh yeah? How is this: What are you doing Saturday night?"

She tried to sound as bitter as she would be if Chandler had actually broken up like this. He was quite surprised by her request but doubted that she'd really want to go to the ceremony with him. "What makes you think I'd be caught dead on an award ceremony with you?" He thought she would have second thoughts now that he had insulted her but he was wrong. "250 bucks?" she offered. She had no idea why she wanted him so desperatly with her on Saturday. This was not part of her plan. "Pick me up at 8 and buy yourself a corsage, I don't wanna look tinsy" he finnaly accepted her request. Now she could not shy back.

At eight o'clock she was nervous as hell. What had she been thinking? But there was no point in having second thoughts now. When she rang the bell at the Sheffield's house it was opened by Niles a second later, wearing a black tuxedo with a matching bow tie. The sight made her smile. "Hello, butler boy. Are you ready?" she asked. "Just a moment" he said and went to the counter in the entering hall, coming back with an exquisit looking bottle of red wine. "I thought you might want a drink on the way" he said with a twinkle in his eyes. "Well, for once you're right" she said and they went to her limo.

When they arrieved at the ceremony the bottle was almost empty. She was so nervous that she had drunken the bigger part of it. It didn't really help that she wasn't sure what she was actually so nervous about: the ceremony or Niles' companionship. Either way, the wine had done nothing to calm her down.

As she brought her coat to the checkroom he couldn't help but gasp. The long sparkeling dress with its cut out neckholder and its long slit on the back of her legs looked even more astonishing than that Dolce and Gabbana outfit she had worn the other morning. "You like?" she smiled. "Oh, it's alright" he tried to cover his admiration, but his boyish grin and the spark in his eyes gave him away.

They took their seats and waited for the show to start. They didn't have to wait for long though. They had just received their first drinks when the light in the room was dimmed and a spot draw their attention to the stage. "Ladies and gentleman, welcome to the 30th annual Broadway Guild Awards." She took a sip of her drink to distract herself, for this entry promised a boring, mind-numbing night.

After the first forty minutes it was finally time for her category. Suddenly she was all nervous again. "Aaand the winner iiiiiis … Sheffield-Babcock-Productions!" The people clapped politely as she went up on stage and took the award. "Well, I am glad we are honoured with this award. Although Mawell cannot be here with me tonight, I think we deserve it." She smiled and left the stage. This time the claps came more hesitantly for noone had expected such a short acceptance speech. But C.C. didn't notice it anyway. All she cared about were the blue eyes that found hers on her way back to her table.

"Oh, what a night!" She was glad that the ceremony was finally over. As she danced through the Sheffield's living room with Niles to Ella Fitzgerald's _Love Is Here To Stay_ she felt much more comfortable. "I don't know how I had the presence on mind to keep my acceptance speach down to 30 seconds" she said somewhat absentmindedly. "You didn't thank anyone" Niles stated plainly and she smiled. "Oh, right" she laughed. She had only noticed it at that very moment.

Then she suddenly started in a softer tone. "Oh Niles, thank you for escorting me." She looked deep into his blue eyes but had to look away again for she felt she could get lost inside them. "You know you're actually almost charming when you're not being a mean miserable old man" she teased with a smile. "Funny, I was gonna say the same about you" he retorted in a gentle voice. She laughed at one of his oldest insults for her.

"You know, I'm really glad that this little … _fling_ between you and Chandler is over" he suddenly changed the subject. "Oh?" she asked, quite surprised. "Yes, he was beneath you." It was only part of the reason he was glad Chandler was gone but he didn't dare to admit his feelings to her now as he felt it would ruin the moment.

"Not anymore" she replied and they both laughed at her joke. Than she gently pushed away from him. "Oh, I almost forgot." She sounded as breathless as she felt when she went to one of the beige armchairs and pulled a piece of paper out of her purse. "Here is your check." As she gave it to him he took one look at it just to rip it to pieces and throw them on the floor. "This one's on me." Her heart skipped a beat at this and she couldn't help but smile. Then he pulled her back into his arms and they continued to dance.

After another swirl he dipped her. When he pulled her back up it was a little too energetic and suddenly they stood really close. The music in the backround and the dance were forgotten and they got lost into each others eyes. "Ms. Babcock" he whispered, not even sure what he was going to say but it didn't matter because she suddenly kissed him fiercly.

He moaned and pulled her closer. She cupped his head in her hands, trying her best to make him breathless. He started to softly nibble on her lower lip, intending to make her knees weak. It worked. Now it was her turn to moan. "Oh Niles…" Suddenly she stiffened and he pulled back in reaction.

She didn't want it to happen like this. She did not want their relationship to start with a lie and a drunken night after another tiring award ceremony. He deserved something better. "I… I guess I need to go home. It's late and Maxwell and I are having a very early appointment tomorrow." She grabbed her purse and walked to the door and a moment later she was gone.


End file.
